Put a pot of salted water on the boil for pasta. Take a butternut squash and stab it a few times, making sure you get in deep enough to penetrate the seed cavity. Put in the microwave on high for 7 minutes, turn and cook for another 7 or until soft. Meanwhile cook a 1/2 package of whole wheat macaroni. Chop 1/2C of fresh chives and dice 4 large tomatoes. Grate a cup of cheese. I used a variety of cheese in the fridge, mozza, cheddar, jack, and swiss. At least I think that was what they were there were quite a few mystery cheeses. Remove butternut from the microwave carefully so as not to burn yourself, ditto when you cut it in half. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and discard. Scoop out the flesh – it should be nice and soft. Combine the squash flesh with about 1 1/2C skim milk and lots of salt and pepper. Whisk the mixture together and bring to a simmer adding a pinch of cayenne. Stir in your cheese until nice and melty. Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes and chives. Combine with noodles and about 1/2Cplain yogurt. Put in a casserole and bake at at 425 for ten minutes then broil for another five.

While I love tomatoes, I didn’t think it seemed right to me to add them into the macaroni so that was the first thing that I omitted from this recipe. I also didn’t have chives, so I left that out too. As for the cheese, I used Allegra’s Fat-Free Mozzarella cheese (which is delicious by the way). Oh, and it just so happened that I was out of regular pasta, so I made this with rice pasta instead. Didn’t hurt this dish at all!

Taste? It did not disappoint me. But it made so much pasta that I ended up having to freeze some of it because I got sick of it after eating it for 2 weeks straight. As an added reassurance, I can report that thawed and re-heated butternut squash mac and cheese is just as tasty.

I first tasted this incredible “pie” when my friend’s father made it one night for dinner. I really had to stop myself from devouring the entire quesadilla. I think it’s the Chipotle tortillas that really bring the flavours together. I begged him to tell me the recipe and immediately went to the grocery store the next day and bought everything I needed to make this for myself so that I could eat it again.

1.Brown the onion, green peppers, and ground chicken in a frying pan and season with dry mustard powder, roasted red pepper and garlic seasoning mix, cumin, salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool.
2.Spread a layer of the chicken mix over the tortilla, followed with a layer of green and red salsa, and shredded cheese. Repeat once more and finish the “pie” with one last chipotle tortilla.
3.Bake in oven. I can’t remember what I baked it with, but I’m going to say 350 degrees @ 20 minutes or so.